From Chicago to Louisville via Toronto

November 03, 2006|BY NEIL MILBERT.

LOUISVILLE — Steve Leving, the racing manager for owner-breeder Frank Calabrese, found an off-the-beaten-path route that has gotten Dreaming of Anna to Churchill Downs for Saturday's $2 million Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies with a perfect record in her three races.

Dreaming of Anna made her debut at her home track, Arlington Park, and easily won a 4 1/2-furlong race on the dirt. For her next start, Leving chose a $60,000 ungraded stakes race over 5 1/2 furlongs on the grass at Colonial Downs in Virginia and she won by 7 1/4 lengths in course-record time. She then was taken to Toronto's Woodbine to challenge male opponents in the Grade III Summer Stakes, a 1-mile grass race on Sept. 17. Again, she proved to be much the best.

"She showed a lot of ability from the get-go," trainer Wayne Catalano said. "She was training faster than horses were running. We originally had planned to run her in the (Grade III) Lassie at Arlington (as the Breeders' Cup prep) but when the racetrack was off we called an audible, went to Plan B and took her to Canada. Early on in their careers the 2-year-old fillies can handle the boys if they have the ability. Then, the boys fill out . . . and it's different."

Matz returns

Michael Matz, the trainer of Barbaro who found fame in the Kentucky Derby and misfortune in the Preakness, has returned to Churchill Downs to run Round Pound in the $2 million Distaff. This spring Round Pound's owner, Richard Porter, took the 4-year-old filly from John Servis, trainer of 2004 Derby and Preakness winner Smarty Jones, and gave her to Matz. When she was in Servis' barn Round Pound won six of eight starts. Since coming to Matz she has run a close second and a distant third in graded stakes at Monmouth and Belmont.